Not a Third Wheel: A GQ&A with Chris Bosh

NBA All-Star and the third prong in the Big Three gets emotional about his critics, the Heat's future, and life in the league after the lockout

Chris Bosh may be the most misunderstood player in the NBA. Last season he averaged 18 points, eight rebounds, and at least one ridiculous criticism from some retired player per game. Why all the hate? We caught up with Bosh to talk about men shedding tears, style, and life after the game.

GQ: Let’s start by talking about style. The Miami Heat are becoming the most stylish team in the nation. Out of the Big Three, who do you think has the best post-lockout style?

Chris Bosh: I think me, of course. [laughs]

GQ: Who’d you’d give second place to, LeBron or D-Wade?

Chris Bosh: Dwyane. He’s really come with it this season. He pushes the envelope a lot, but it’s a very difficult question. I think we all have our own different styles. LeBron likes to be comfortable—he’s going to be more comfortable over everything else. Dwyane likes really stylish stuff. If you bring something questionable he’ll try it.

Chris Bosh: Yeah! [The November issue of GQ] was the first I heard about that, and I never really paid attention to it. We get on him a little bit for that, but if that’s what he wants to do...

GQ: Quick hypothetical, toes aside: Let’s say the game was tied. 10 seconds left. You had 30 points, LeBron’s got 30, and Wade’s got 30. You got the same amount of rebounds, same amount of assists—having the same great game. Who takes the shot at the end to either win or lose the game.

Chris Bosh: [immediately] Dwyane.

GQ: Why?

Chris Bosh: Because of his success in the past, given what he’s done. He’s a champ. He’s an MVP, and he’s hit a bunch of last-second shots. That’s the time you have to put pride aside a little bit, and do what’s best for the team. He’s quickest, and he’s gonna get a shot off. He relishes those moments.

GQ: Ready for a lightning round of questions?

Chris Bosh: Yeah, sure.

GQ: Favorite book?

Chris Bosh:The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene.

GQ: Favorite artist?

Chris Bosh: Kanye West. He’s all over the place and I think he defines what an artist is because none of his work is the same, and he’s into what he’s into.

GQ: Who on the Miami Heat has the most "Kanye West" moments?

Chris Bosh: I think Dwyane. Because he’ll say something and you’ll be like, "Damn!" He’s honest with you like, "You should’ve been right there."

GQ: Favorite designer?

Chris Bosh: John Varvatos.

GQ: When was the last time you cried?

Chris Bosh: The NBA Finals. Everybody saw that. Everybody made a big deal out of it, and that’s what bothered me the most. It’s like, "Dude, if you’ve never cried over basketball as a grown man, you’re lying. I don’t care what you’re saying, you’re lying." I lost at the ultimate level, you know? If the guys don’t understand that, they’re either lying or they don’t have a pulse.

GQ: Crying is a mark of a competitor?

Chris Bosh: Yeah. I hate to lose. When I was a kid, I used to cry every time I lost a game, up until, like, the 8th grade. I used to go ballistic. I used to go crazy. If I cried it’d be like, "Ah, Chris is crying again... damn it... come on, get in the car." All that over one game. I hated to lose.

GQ: So how’d you play for the Raptors then? You must’ve been crying every day.

Chris Bosh:[laughs] I had gotten rid of the crying when I got to high school, though it happened again when I was a junior. We lost in the state championship. It was kind of the same situation, camera in my face, and then that’s when I realized it was over I had my moment. But we won the next year, then the other people cried. [laughs]

GQ: Out of all the players, what team in the Western Conference would you like to make cry?

Chris Bosh: I wouldn’t like to make anybody cry, I don’t dislike anybody. It doesn’t even matter—the opponent is always faceless. There’s nobody out there that I’m like—

GQ: That sounds like a quote from the 33 Strategies of War.

Chris Bosh: It probably is! It would feel great to get the Mavs back but I wouldn’t do it for those reasons, because I think sometimes you can get caught up in all that, instead of enjoying the moment.

GQ: It’s about the hardware, right?

Chris Bosh: Yes.

GQ: Favorite GOP candidate?

Chris Bosh: GOP? What is GOP?

GQ: The Republican Party.

Chris Bosh: Oh, Republican Party. [laughs] You know what, to be honest, politics is so weird. I think it’s more heavy than religion. If you look at it, you have these figures who are up here—and we all make mistakes—but they’re up there like they’ve never made a mistake. Then they tear each other down. They have these followings... I can’t speak on that. I don’t know anything about that stuff.

GQ: Do you vote?

Chris Bosh: I do, I vote. People died for our right to vote, you know, and I can’t let that go.

GQ: What do you think is the world’s most common misconception about you?

Chris Bosh: What misconceptions are there about me?

GQ: I don’t know you, so I don’t know what’s misperceived. I just know perceptions.

Chris Bosh: I guess it’s the whole soft thing or whatever.

GQ: It seems as if people are very critical of you in that regard. Shaq called you the RuPaul of big men. Does that stuff ever get to you?

Chris Bosh: It was more so just strange. When we played that game where he made that comment, he had a great game. We were a smaller team and I said something about him camping out in the lane. I’m like, What can you do? I think my exact words were, "What can you do if he’s in there three seconds? If he’s in the lane more than three seconds then we can’t stop him." The ref should’ve called three seconds, that’s what I said. Then there’s all this other stuff coming back, and I’m like, "Damn!" So I didn’t even care, I just spoke my mind and it was the truth—what can you do if Shaq is there, and here’s just having a great game?

GQ: Have you and Shaq spoken since then?

Chris Bosh: No, I’ve never really known him like that.

GQ: He’s a commentator now on TNT. Do you ever look at the post-game shows?

Chris Bosh: Not so much. If somebody attacks me with words, I’m always like, Do you know me? Do you know me that well? Let’s have a beer and talk about it.

GQ: You guys should totally have a beer. That was a while back when you played, do you think you’re better now than Shaq was then?

Chris Bosh: Nah, I wouldn’t say so. We’re different players, you know? That question could never be answered.

GQ: Do you feel underappreciated? People are so focused on Wade and LeBron.

Chris Bosh: I don’t need those people to appreciate me. You don’t have to appreciate me—I hope you underestimate me. That way, when I have a good game, it’ll hit you even harder.

GQ: That sounds like another quote from that book. Other than the championship last year, what’s the lowest moment of your career?

Chris Bosh: We had a season where we lost 15 of our first 16 games in Toronto. I want to say it was my third year. That was the toughest man. I just remember my cousin being like, "Hey man, come on, come on, come on cuz, you got to go to work."

GQ: Say the Heat were to lose the next 16 games. Let’s say they lost the next 60. Could basketball ever make you depressed?

Chris Bosh: Absolutely. Hell yeah. I’ve probably been depressed before. I don’t really know what depression is, I don’t think I’ve felt it. I probably have. Things aren’t the same when you’re losing. You’re not happy. That can happen. But I try to keep them separate as much as possible.

GQ: What was the worst part of the lockout for you?

Chris Bosh: When we started missing games.

GQ: There was rather funny internet meme of David Stern being the Grinch because many believed he stopped Chris Paul from going to the Lakers. What’s your take on David Stern?

Chris Bosh: You know, he’s a commissioner. I think there’s definitely a stigma out there about him being the Grinch or whatever. I don’t even know if he played a huge part in vetoing the trade, but you know where everybody’s going to point. He’s in a tough position, I understand he’s in a tough position, and sometimes it’s going to be like that when you sign up for it. But I don’t have a problem with him. Business is business.

GQ: Take David Stern out of that. Do you feel that the league was unfair up until the agreement?

Chris Bosh: As far as negotiations?

GQ: Yeah.

Chris Bosh: Well, there was not negotiation. Fair negotiation is going, "Ten dollars." "One dollar." "Nine dollars." "Two dollars." "Eight dollars." "Three dollars." Meeting in the middle. There was no meeting in the middle for years.

GQ: No one has ever been inspired by David Stern’s fade-away. But Michael Jordan, on the other hand, is arguably the greatest of all time. He was rather vocal about being against the players. How did that feel?

Chris Bosh: I’m not surprised.

GQ: Why?

Chris Bosh: He’s a competitor, and he’s gonna play to win. That’s what I’ve heard about him, many many times. And that’s not going to change.

GQ: But even you just talked about there being no hearts in sports, if anybody should understand the players being shafted, shouldn’t it be him?

Chris Bosh: He’s one of the reasons we went into lockout before, right? I mean, he was not the reason, but he was making a nice piece of change. I think $30 million, in his last two years. So I mean, hey...

GQ: So is it hypocritical, or is it just business?

Chris Bosh: It’s business. I didn’t take the whole thing personally, what’s business is business. I looked up to the player, on the court. I didn’t look up to him personally. There weren’t any philanthropic efforts or anything that he did where I was like, "Man, that’s cool," or something like that.

GQ: If you were Michael Jordan, what would you have done?

Chris Bosh: Make the team the best that I possibly can. I wouldn’t take a hard-line stance.

GQ: If you were Michael Jordan, would you have sided with the players, or would you have sided with—

Chris Bosh: You’ve gotta side with the owners because you’re an owner. You can say you’re a player, but you’re not.

GQ: After basketball, what do you want to do?

Chris Bosh: That’s a good question, I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it, I think about it all the time. Something with business, going back to school, I don’t know. Something really cool, be a dad, full-time dad or something.

GQ: You said that LeBron’s decision was what the fans wanted. What do you want?

Chris Bosh: For me?

GQ: Yes.

Chris Bosh: I want to win the championship. [laughs] I want happiness and health for me and my family. I’m a world peace kind of guy, you know what I’m saying?

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